


Valued Treasure

by kravicle



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Character Study, Depressed Link (Legend of Zelda), Gen, Slow To Update, i dont know how to tag stuff, just letting you know: i am not consistent, teen rating due to language, that one is just canon tbf
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:41:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25074040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kravicle/pseuds/kravicle
Summary: "Good old fashioned walking"- aka what happens when you tell the depressed wildman he can’t do things the easy way.Just some thoughts about Link’s characterisation in botw put to paper
Kudos: 31





	1. The Hero of Hyrule

**Author's Note:**

> ive been meaning to get this out of my head and into a readable format for ages now, but im just very inconsistent of when i write and how much i /do/ write at any given time. so i thought "if you have the pressure of people reading you WILL update more often". time to test that theory.
> 
> first multichapter fic im ever doing so! read at your own risk. also link might be OOC at times im still trying to figure this out. this is basically just for me, but i do appreciate it if you like it.

“Hero!” called a voice from behind him. Link didn't flinch, though it hadn't been long since he shook off the bad habit.  _ “Great” _ , he thought to himself,  _ “here we go” _ .

“Oh Hero! Please wait up-" said the voice, much closer now, with a pant. Link stopped dead on his tracks. He wasn't really looking forward to having a chat with another person, but hey. The Hero of Hyrule never rests right? He turned on his heels and nodded to the bushy hylian man, who was still catching his breath.

It was a warm, suffocating day in the canyon, at least for people that didn't have Link’s gear and potions. He had come to trade for some diamonds and had gotten distracted searching for korok seeds, and since he was already at it he thought to walk back to the stable and sleep there, as a change of pace you know? Usually he didn't really walk anywhere, unless he felt like taking a stroll with his horse. Shrines could be a bitch to complete, but instant travel all across Hyrule sure made up for it.

Finally, the older man regained his breath. “So sorry to bother you, but could I ask a favour of you?” Link shrugged as he sat down on a rock. He was, more likely than not, going to accept whatever menial quest the man gave him, but that didn't mean he couldn't act tough and disinterested. He was a busy guy alright! It's not like the fabled Hero of Hyrule could take time out of his day to get kittens from trees and suchlike every day (ask anyone and they'll tell you that he, in fact, can do exactly that). Besides, the quest could be interesting. Maybe after completing it he could use the work as an excuse for a well deserved spa treatment in Gerudo Town. The thought made him smile.

“You see, I was hoping to set out for Akkala today, there is someone there that sees to weird artifacts like these, but my travelling party and I still have business in the desert for at least another week and a half. Do you mind getting it to him? I'm sure he'll reward you handsomely!” In his hands, there was a small object unlike anything Link had seen yet. Sheikah technology for sure, with the strange black stone material and the orange runes, but it looked completely alien. Two disks joined together forming a cylinder, with a handle on one of the sides. Needless to say Link was very curious. 

Link took the object in his hands, pointed at the man and corked his head in a question.

“Oh, what about me? As long as Robbie knows it’s from me, it's all right. My name is Bazzan. So, you'll do it?” Link regarded the strange cylinder in his hands, then looked at the man and nodded. “Excellent! Thank you so much".

And that's when things got complicated. As soon as Link pulled out his Sheikah slate to teleport away, the object started humming and glowing, and the disks began spinning, which caused the man to freak out a little and start yelling about causing another calamity, or worse, damaging the product. He then made Link promise to not use “weird Sheikah magic" to move around, lest he break the item in the dematerialization process.

And that's how Link had begun his journey across the entirety of Hyrule, to deliver some weird thingamabob. On foot.

Yay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANKS FOR READING! hopefully this will motivate me to actually finish it. i am halfway through chapter 3 but it's been legit a year and a half since i started, so i'll try to post what i got but don't expect frequent updates after that :( im sorry
> 
> hope you enjoyed this introduction, let me know what you think! (bonus points if you can guess what the sheikah artifact will be)


	2. Highland Winds

Too bad the Sheikah Slate didn't come with a step-counter rune. He was racking up some numbers. “ _I can't wait to see what the hero's path looks like after I'm done with this delivery_ ", he thought as he propelled himself upwards towards the edge of the cliff, the dust and dryness of the rock helping absorb the sweat from his palms and muscles. _"Maybe I'll draw a crude gesture while I'm at it. Now THAT would be funny."_

He finally reached the open air of the top, the lower temperature settling in his bones as he recovered from the long climb. Link wiped off his sweat with his bandana and tied some rito feathers to his hair in a complicated braid, shielding his neck, cheeks and ears from the cold wind. It'll do for now. 

From up here he had a great vantage point. You could see pretty much the entirety of Hyrule. From the Gerudo desert on the left, all the way across Hyrule field, up to the rocky cliffs of Death Mountain. The bright beams of red energy from the divine beasts were cutting across the sky in all directions, all focused on a singular point in Hyrule Castle. Still under Ganon’s power. Still a checkmark on his list.

Link made a face and turned around, his back to the great expanse below. He walked down the hill, in the direction where he knew a small hut lay. Link regarded the snow-covered ruins, and was pleased to find the wood was sturdy and not rotten. With a campfire by his side and a blanket on the floor as insulation, he could spend the night here.

Yes, _technically_ he could push onwards well past nightfall, some stahls and keese were not much trouble to fight. But since he was under strict “no floaty disintegration magic allowed" rules, his back-up escape plans had been severely hindered. There was no “ _oops I shouldn’t have picked a fight with these Lizalfos I’ll just- yeah teleport really quickly- there we go_ ”. Sadly, speedy retreats for being careless were off the table for the time being.

He had thought of calling on his horse, but with all the climbing going on it wouldn’t be very effective, and he also didn't want to put it in danger, so boots-on-the-ground travel only for now. Well, and paraglider-in-the-air. With some luck he could enjoy some shield-on-the-snow too. The snow surfing thoughts kept him company until he fell asleep, after which they were promptly discarded in favour of the more appropriate recurring nightmares.

_“And we hope that… that the two of you will grow stronger together, as one.”_

_It was a beautiful day. The sun shining high in the sky, the birds chirping, a cool breeze that didn’t let the early summer air set in just yet. Link’s knees did not complain, not even after being on the same kneeling position close to an hour._

_“Gee this is uplifting…” Daruk’s booming voice interrupted the silence, trying and failing to whisper. “She’s making it sound like we already lost”. The other champions stood in watch as the knighting ceremony progressed. Revali did not have the same concerns about being overheard._

_“You’re the one that wanted to designate the appointed knight with all the ceremonial pomp, grandeur and nonsense we could muster!” Link’s face did not betray any sign of recognition. “_ Just because I don’t _speak_ to you doesn’t mean I can’t hear you.“ _Yet he did not reply. As far as any of the champions were concerned, the other members of the Royal Guard, or Princess Zelda herself, Link did not feel. He did as we was told with as much precision as required, never complained, and never backed down._

 _He did often wonder if the Master Sword approved of his methods. Legends of the other Heroes said that the Sword that Seals the Darkness often spoke with them, giving advice or words of encouragement. That hadn’t been his experience with it so far. “_ Can’t you just tell me if I should be doing things differently?” _he pleaded, picturing in his mind the heavy steel sword currently strapped on his back. No response, as normal swords are known to do. He had been chosen by it, why didn’t it want to speak with him?_

 _“And if you ask me, the whole thing does seem to be overkill”. Link bit his tongue to stifle a laugh. “_ No shit Revali, to you and everybody else. Thank Hylia we are not having this ceremony in Castle Town in the middle of the square.” _Although the idea of a ceremony like the ones from old was proposed by Daruk, it had been at Zelda’s request to hold it here in the middle of Hyrule Field. Link couldn’t be happier about that. At least he and Zelda agreed on some matters._

_“Oh give it a rest, that boy is a living reminder of all her failures. Well, at least that’s how the Princess sees him”. Zelda had to be hearing this as well, right? She couldn’t not know. But Link was doing his best to ignore the situation, so he couldn’t blame her for doing the same. Urbosa’s comment stung both of them. He knew she was dissatisfied with him, so he would not push the issue. Be her guard and fulfil his duty by killing Ganon, that’s all he had to do._

_The scene changed. He was still kneeling, but this time the sword was heavy on his hand, his grip tight around the hilt. Zelda was speaking to him, but he didn’t understand what she was saying. The ringing on his ears and the sound of the wind drowned out everything else._

_He stood, using the blade as support, his fresh scars and burns screeching in pain inside his head. If he had been allowed a moment to think, he would be surprised at how he was still alive. His wounds were deep, and pain lapped at his subconscious, yet he readied himself, his eyes on the creature in front of them._

_The guardian approached, the black and red eye piercing through his soul, but Link’s resolve did not waver. He stood in front of Zelda, ready to kill the enemy before it could hurt her. “Or die trying” was not an option._

_As the creature’s laser sight locked on to them, and Link was about to charge, Zelda pushed herself in front of him and shouted, though he did not know what. Suddenly, a flash of blinding light emanated from her, and all the guardians in the area fell over, deactivated. Were they… safe? Link did not have the time to process his own question, his body giving up as the adrenaline left him. He fought to stay conscious, Zelda holding him in her arms, and he really meant to speak at that moment. "Thank you". But Link did not live long enough to say so._

He awoke to the morning wind howling in his ears, a chill that signified it was time to don even more warm clothes or slowly freeze to death. He rose up to his feet, and tried to convince himself the shaking was just from the cold.

As soon as he didn’t feel sleep cling to him anymore, Link packed his bags and resumed his way eastward. Straight through Hyrule field was probably the fastest and most direct way to get to Akkala, but if he was going on a long trip he deserved a quick pit-stop on his house first. Gather supplies, sleep on his own bed (not that he ever did that particularly often), etc. Plus, it would give him a chance to talk to Purah first and learn more about the sheikah apparatus before he had to go sell it off. Could be useful.

He walked towards the edge of the mountain and towards his next goal, acquiring a mount. And he knew exactly where to do that.

He took a running start and jumped, his feet swinging back and forth as he lay suspended in the air, the breeze and his own weight propelling him forwards. The first dozen times using the paraglider had been completely nerve wracking, and _more_ than taxing on his body, but eventually you got used to it. And the view was unbeatable.

He still remembered how he felt after stepping out of the Shrine of Resurrection for the first time, weak and unaccustomed to physical activity. Stumbling around with atrophied muscles, _scared_ _,_ and yet reacting to everything in his path with skill and precision, his body driven by pure instinct instead of thought. Not knowing his own name, but his body remembering how to fight, even if it cost so much effort to do so.

Now he could easily soar through the air for indefinite amounts of time. His senses were sharper. He could withstand more blows. His memories… had returned. Most of them. Link wasn’t sure how he felt about that fact. There was a lot of guilt that he didn’t want to dwell on.

Hylia herself must’ve had mercy on his soul, because land was near and he could focus on the task at hand and ignore everything else that was going on inside his head.

It didn’t take long to reach the wild riders. With practiced skill he knocked two arrows on his bow and shot the riding bokoblins in quick succession, managing to kill them without much trouble. Link landed on the wild horse, propping her to run. She wasn’t specially speedy, not compared to his own horses, but it’d make this stretch of the journey a little faster. And he did love horses. Horses didn’t really expect anything from you other than food and affection, and they were free to run as fast as they wanted, wherever the wind took them.

He threw his arms up in the air with a satisfied shout, letting the horse lead the way through the roads as the morning sun rose high in the sky.


	3. Inside Faron

Goodbyes were never easy. 

Maybe it would’ve been more dramatic if Link was talking about a person and not a horse he’d just met, but love is love all the same, and he was a sensible guy. At least nowadays.

“Don’t worry little guy, she’ll be in good care. You suuuuuuure you don’t wanna register her at the front desk?” Cima, the Lakeside Stable stable-hand, was petting the mare’s mane with interest, barely paying any attention to Link. Lucky for him he preferred it that way. He shook his head no. Can’t afford to adopt every single horse he came across. And she’d like it here in the stable.

A dog was running excitedly between everyone’s legs, barking at anyone that would play with him, and travellers were getting ready to check out for the day. Noon was giving way to the early afternoon, and an old man tended to a pot, the smell of stew and fried plantains filling the air. Link’s stomach growled without his permission.

“Wanna stay for lunch? Runnin’ around everywhere is not healthy you know. You have to eat and rest. Take care of yourself as much as you take care of your horses” right on cue, almost as if to emphasize the point, the mare neighed. Animals could be so perceptive.

Link again shook his head, knowing how close he was to his own home. Just a few more climbs and he’d be there before the night set it in. He’d eat a proper meal then, in his own house. Alone.

“Suit yourself. Oh, before I forget, Beedle was askin’ for you. Said you owe him a rhino beetle or something.” Uh oh. Link’s eyes went wide at the mention of the beetle. It must have been a pretty funny sight, since as soon as he did it Cima started to laugh. “That’s a guilty face if I’ve ever seen one! I won’t tell you were here.” He made a pleading motion with his hands as a sign of gratitude, and turned to run towards the Floria bridge, Cima’s laugh still breaking the jungle silence.

Everyone loved Beedle, of course. How could you not? So Link running away wasn’t a matter of crossing paths with someone he didn’t like. But he’d been saving up some electric rhino beetles to give to a Great Fairy, and he hated seeing Beedle’s sad face every time he had to tell him they weren’t for sale. Not for all the elixir’s in the world. But no matter how he phrased it, Beedle was decided to ask for them every time. And the guy had a knack for showing up just about wherever Link went (Link was beginning to question if he had a Sheikah Slate all of his own), the sooner he got out of here, the better.

As he jogged across the Floria bridge, he almost wished it was nighttime. Seeing the dragon was always such an amazing sight, and ever since he had acquired the Thunder Helm on a loan, getting right up close to Farosh was one of his favourite pastimes. The cool gusts of air that made paragliding way easier than it normally was, the rushing of the waterfalls, the dragon’s serene and detached expression, that wasn’t bothered by anything on this plane (and that made collecting scales way less scary, even if Link still apologized for shooting arrows at it). Truly amazing.

But no, the three PM sun was blaring high, making every creature under it run towards the shade or sweat half to death. At least it wasn’t raining. As much as Link loved this region (for some inexplicable reason), the weather was _not_ a positive mark in its favor. The rain didn’t cool you off, just made you heavier and every surface more difficult to climb. Not to mention the monsters. It was bad enough to skirmish with every Yiga member this side of Hyrule every two steps, you didn’t want to add hordes of keese and bokoblins to the mix. Still, Link liked it, it was a change of scenery and some environments you couldn’t get anywhere else.

* * *

Link’s mood was very sour when the sun began to set and he realized he’d have to camp again, so close to his home and unable to make it due to climbing and fighting for the better part of the day. He’d probably only make it to Hateno Tower if he pushed himself. But as he made his way down Breman Peak, he remembered how close he was to his absolute favourite spot in all of Hyrule, and began running down the mountain with renowned spirits.

Tucked by the side of the cliffs, close to the Squabble River below, there was a big oak tree and a discreet hot spring. Monsters wandered nearby, but they always seemed to miss this little corner, a small sanctuary where Link could rest. He loved coming here every chance he got.

Hot spring geocaching was an incredible way to pass the time and explore the land, but most of them were hidden away in places where you didn’t really want to be caught taking a swim with no clothes on. By the foot of Death Mountain, for example, with Guardians crawling all around the perimeter. Or down the coldest and steepest parts of Hebra, freezing as soon as you got out of the water. But this tiny spring, with a small rock to dive off of into the water, and a big tree to sit in the shade of; it was just peaceful. The warm water healed his wounds and his spirit. 

He almost made a joke about not even needing Miphas’ Grace when he had springs like these, but it died in his throat. He couldn’t joke about his friends like that, not when he remembered how much it had all meant. How much they sacrificed. How they had died.

In fairness, so had he. They don’t call it “Shrine of Resurrection” if you’re just taking a nap, do they? He had died just like them.

But he was alive now, and they were not, even if their spirits were watching. And waiting. They couldn’t rest until Ganon was defeated, for good this time, so they were counting on him to finally put an end to Hyrule’s darkness and let them be at peace. So… why hadn’t he done it yet?

Link knew this was a rabbithole he fell into sometimes (okay, most of the time), so he put that thought aside for later and quickly got dressed. He felt rested enough by the hotspring anyway. It was time to make it to Hateno, preferably as fast as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is long overdue but a couple things happened! firstly, i co-published a game! it's a very short visual novel demo called "Baked With Love", and that took a lot of my writing time. and secondly, im away on vacation right now with limited wifi! but this fic is still in progress (and it's very near and dear my heart) so as soon i get back i should have a new chapter ready to publish


End file.
